The Castle now open on Steam

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Case in point: indie developer Ishtar Games' supernatural comedy adventure The Castle, a newly-released title for PC that bears a striking resemblance to Maniac Mansion (in a good way).

A small town has been "taken over" by evil, with a vampire now housed in the ominous castle nearby. Fortunately a "group of courageous adventurers has decided to organize an expedition to end the feared vampire." Only three may go, however, so you must choose your trio wisely in order to "enter the castle and fulfill your mission." No matter who goes in, beware the challenges that await as "the castle hides many surprises," including guards on the lookout for trespassers like you.

Just one look at a screenshot of The Castle is evidence of its LucasArts inspiration, from the chunky retro pixel art to the SCUMM-style nine-verb interface. The similarities to the Ron Gilbert/Gary Winnick 1987 classic don't stop there, either, as players will have seven characters to pick from, including a mystery writer, a demon-hunting nun, a bookworm, a paranormal secret agent, the daughter of a Yakuza boss, a romantic novel enthusiast, and of course Bob, a guy who "has nothing to do with all this, but he was passing by and decided to come and check what was going on." Each character promises to have a unique personality and "some will facilitate or complicate the adventure," with certain puzzle solutions impacted by who is in your party of three. There are five different endings in total, some of which will be easy while others are "extremely difficult" to attain.

A solo project developed over the course of the last two years, The Castle is now complete and available on Steam for Windows PC.